Ruth Dixon

After studying Chemistry at Cambridge and Warwick Universities, and working in the Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Oxford, I was from 1992 to 2001 a senior (non-clinical) scientist at the MRC Biochemical and Clinical Magnetic Resonance Unit, University of Oxford. My work on the biochemistry of human disease resulted in about 40 peer-reviewed publications, book chapters etc.

A career change brought me to the Department of Politics and International Relations in 2006 to work on the ESRC's Public Services Programme.

Ruth Dixon, Christopher Hood and Lawrence Jones, 2008. Editorial: Ratings and Rankings of Public Service Performance. Introduction to the Special Issue. International Public Management Journal 11(3) September 2008 253-255 Editorial

Christopher Hood, Ruth Dixon and Craig Beeston, 2008. Rating the Rankings: Assessing International Rankings of Public Service Performance. International Public Management Journal 11(3) September 2008 298-358 [Winner of the June Pallot Award for best article in the IPMJ 2008] Abstract

Christopher Hood and Ruth Dixon, 2010. The Political Payoff from Performance Target Systems: No-Brainer or No-gainer? Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 20 (Suppl. 2): i281-i298, July 2010 Abstract

Christopher Hood, Ruth Dixon and Deborah Wilson, 2010. Managing by Numbers: the Way to Make Public Services Better? Briefing paper. Pub: ESRC Public Services Programme. PDF

Christopher Hood and Ruth Dixon, 2013. A Model of Cost-Cutting in Government? The Great Management Revolution in UK Central Government Reconsidered, Public Administration 91(1) 114 -134 online (open access) and Summary.

Ruth Dixon, Christiane Arndt, Manuel Mullers, Jarmo Vakkuri, Kristiina Engblom-Pelkkala, and Christopher Hood, 2013. A Lever for Improvement or a Magnet for Blame? Press and Political Responses to International Educational Rankings in Four EU Countries, Public Administration 91(2) 484–505 online abstract.